Bryon,

shirl is a great person and the advise she will provide will be good. I would also suggest you click on the link she provided you will find a lot of people there just like yourself who suffer with back problems. Now about your x-ray.

You have degenarting disc which means that they are wearing out, and probably causing your pain. The sclerosis is hardening, from arthritis most likely and the bony growths are from arthritis as well. The disc narrowing causes problem when the space narrows to the point that the nerve roots get compressed. I imagine that the doctor who ordered these films is sending you back for a mri. If not he should be, you need to know whether you have any herniated disc as well. Good luck and keep us posted. Also the following link will take you to a site that has pictures and several articles on degenerative disc. Spineuniverse.Com good luck

I'm not sure on a permanent fix on these, but i know of a great pain relief tool.

Baxolve is a TENS (Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation) unit. This is very clever stuff.

It uses small electrical pulses on your nerves to numb the pain. The relief lasts for hours which is great, it just means you can get on with life rather than having to rest all the time (i know that was the best thing about it for me!)

It also provides lumbar support, which helps take some strain off your back muscles that are aching.

Great product, i would recommend to anyone with back pain!

Mine is L1-2 with narrowing but no stenosis noted. disabledcoastie is right on the money with the explaination above. I am on pain meds right now waiting for a TENS unit and pain management. Only thing they can do is a spinal fusion or laminectomy. I opt out of it. To old for that anyway. The space between disc 1 and 2 for me is not that bad yet. Just get flair ups like now and on Vicodin for two weeks or more and rest with ice paks on and off all day. It is a pain to say the least.

Carrie

has anyone mentioned ankylosing spondylitis i beleive your xrays indicate you have some of the symptoms of this condition if you do they have recently come up with an effective treatment in the form of medication. You should ask your doctor if it is possible that you have this condition. and ask to be reffered to a reumatologist


I copyied and psted this

Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of chronic inflammation of the spine and the sacroiliac joints. The sacroiliac joints are located in the low back where the sacrum (the bone directly above the tailbone) meets the iliac bones (bones on either side of the upper buttocks). Chronic inflammation in these areas causes pain and stiffness in and around the spine. Over time, chronic spinal inflammation (spondylitis) can lead to a complete cementing together (fusion) of the vertebrae, a process referred to as ankylosis. Ankylosis leads to loss of mobility of the spine.

Ankylosing spondylitis is also a systemic disease, meaning it can affect other tissues throughout the body. Accordingly, it can cause inflammation in or injury to other joints away from the spine, as well as to other organs, such as the eyes, heart, lungs, and kidneys. Ankylosing spondylitis shares many features with several other arthritis conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and arthritis associated with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Each of these arthritic conditions can cause disease and inflammation in the spine, other joints, eyes, skin, mouth, and various organs. In view of their similarities and tendency to cause inflammation of the spine, these conditions are collectively referred to as "spondyloarthropathies." Ankylosing spondylitis is considered one of the many rheumatic diseases because it can cause symptoms involving muscles and joints.

Ankylosing spondylitis is two to three times more common in males than in females. In women, joints away from the spine are more frequently affected than in men. Ankylosing spondylitis affects all age groups, including children. The most common age of onset of symptoms is in the second and third decades of life.


The tendency to develop ankylosing spondylitis is believed to be genetically inherited, and the majority (nearly 90%) of patients with ankylosing spondylitis are born with the HLA-B27 gene. Blood tests have been developed to detect the HLA-B27 gene marker and have furthered our understanding of the relationship between HLA-B27 and ankylosing spondylitis. The HLA-B27 gene appears only to increase the tendency of developing ankylosing spondylitis, while some additional factor(s), perhaps environmental, are necessary for the disease to appear or become expressed. For example, while 7% of the United States population have the HLA-B27 gene, only 1% of the population actually have the disease ankylosing spondylitis. In Northern Scandinavia (Lapland), 1.8% of the population have ankylosing spondylitis while 24% of the general population have the HLA-B27 gene. Even among HLA-B27-positive individuals, the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis appears to be further related to heredity. In HLA-B27-positive individuals who have relatives with the disease, their risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis is 12% (six times greater than for those whose relatives do not have ankylosing spondylitis).


anyway you get the picture the latest traetment involves the use of a drug called TNF blockers